> Problem is though that many airline are starting to offer WiFi connectivity. I just hope that they've built shitty systems that won't work most of the time... :)

I take advantage of the cognitive friction induced by the fact that you have to pay (even though it's cheap); I don't think I've ever used WiFi on a plane. It's nice to have some time with (almost) enforced lack of connectivity. I also never get Internet when traveling, including on an extended backpacking trip when WiFi was hard to come by. It makes it more inconvenient, but it's more than worth the ability to be fully present while exploring new places.

Starting? Like ten years ago they started and now it's in nearly every plane.

In the flights I've taken in the past few years, I see wifi on about 1/3, and it's a fairly recent thing (a couple years, maybe). Obviously you're traveling on different planes than I am.

Really depends on: country, airline, price range you are willing to part with on amenities. Typically the Wifi costs extra, and most people are just trying to A-to-B it.

I fly probably a 15-20 times a year and I've never been on a flight with wifi. I'm super curious what it's like though.

90% of the time it's like really bad coffee shop wifi unless you get a nice airline with ViaSat connections installed, then it's actually pretty good.

Good enough to make calls via VoIP?

No, these satellite connections have bad latency and VOIP traffic might be filtered out.

I'm in Europe, and fly 4-5-6 times a year. It's only in the last 5 years that you're allowed have electronic devices turned on in planes here.

Huh? I'm sure electronic devices were OK in Europe flights a decade+ ago...

Yeah and you still get "told" to turn them off. Kind of a mixed signal of "put your electronics on airplane mode" and "switch off your electronics" where you're not sure which you're supposed to do. Really they don't care either way

I think you are referring to take-off/landing parts of the flight.

There is a reason behind that, AFAIK the airplane uses lots of sensors that these devices may interfere with, otherwise normally they are allowed.

Out of curiosity, why were electronic devices banned in planes on the first place? Is there any scientifical evidence either for or against it?

Great article here: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130604-why-we-turn-devices...

Also good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_on_aircraft

So? If you want to be offline you go offline. It's not like someone is forcing you to use WiFi... This seems more like a self-control problem.

I thought that a lack of self control was initially the point of the parent post hence the whole "being forced to be productive since there's nothing else to do' spiel

Don't fret; they have, and they don't